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Best Free eMail Provider

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Dodgeman

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 30, 2016
1,355
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So I need a new email account.
I have used gmail in the past and yahoo.
Just looking for some recommendations and why you like/use that particular account.
Gmail changes the interface every so often and links a lot of google stuff which I do not use. Yahoo I want to avoid for obvious reasons...
So let me know your opinions.
 
I love Gmail both personal and Enterprise: solid, flexible and it is pretty much a standard. If you want no ads, try fastmail.com, its from the guys at Mozila I believe, they charge a monthly fee.
 
Yeah. Not the biggest fan of most of the free ones but guess I have to make a decision. I want to consolidate all my email to one account.
 
I don't really care what Gmail does to the interface, since all my emailing is done though iOS app and Apple mail as IMAP access. I stopped using the interface when Gmail started changing the web GUI.

Could be a security risk if i don't check my Gmail account regularly for "other" logged in uses, but i'd rather trust 100% to my own complex password any-day, then pure convenience of regular access Gmail web interface just to check for "possible" security issues and who else "may" have logged in.. because even i know that will never be possible on what password i use..

Plus, i know who i give passwords to and who i don't. Since "Spam" is also deleted from Gmail every 30 days it doesn't make sense to login just to delete them from this folder, particularly when Google has a vast amount of space anyway..

Labels i only see in Apple mail and iOS are "Air mail", "Inbox" and "Sent" ..All others i disabled as either i chose not to see them externally, or they would clutter up the interface on iOS and OS X

The only time i log into the Gmail web GUI is when an Gmail's own filters go "feral" and get placed in the wrong section, which rarely happens...
 
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GMail is not bad and is probably the standard and I love if you ever need to delete the account that it just goes away and no one can reuse that user name again.
Outlook (Hotmail), I like the nice clean simple easy to use user interface, I do appreciate that a lot. I think I may go that route only issue I have with them is if you delete the account I hear the recycle the addresses...?
(Yahoo has security issues, plus who really uses that search engine anymore.)
 
boast said:
I've heard good things of ProtonMail.
Click to expand...

What were some of the pros you have heard? I heard they are really secure and encryption is great...

Yeah proton mail sounds great. I did a bit more research and found out they include a signature in every email in which you have to remove manually...
They only give you 500mb of storage which shouldn't be an issue early on but what about a few years later?
What kind of shut me out was if you have to change your password for whatever reason it erases all of your previous emails, which is probably ok, but might be if you have something sensitive that you need to keep ahold of.
[doublepost=1527564198][/doublepost]I am honestly thinking of giving Outlook a try, and if not that Mail.com...
Gmail I am not a fan of the interface really, everything else is fine, just want something a bit more simple. All I need is email and not much extra. :)
 
Dodgeman said:
Yahoo I want to avoid for obvious reasons...
Click to expand...
I guess it isn't obvious to me.

Yahoo was the first email account I ever made, back in 1999 and I have had that account since. Other than recent incidents over security (which is perhaps your 'obvious reasons') I've never had much concern.

I change my password when this happens, but my Yahoo account is for accounts I know I am likely to receive spam on or for accounts where I do not wish a provider to have my home email address.

I don't keep anything sensitive in there because of that.

Someone suggested fastmail. Fastmail is good, but you have to pay to actually send from their servers. However, you can use Gmail credentials to send. They let you do that.
 
Dodgeman said:
Just looking for some recommendations and why you like/use that particular account.
Gmail changes the interface every so often and links a lot of google stuff which I do not use.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised how many people use gmail through the web interface. I've used gmail for almost 14 years now, and love it. Filters spam very well, has plenty of storage space, and never goes down. I use either Mail on my MacBook or iPhone...pretty much never use the web interface.
 
Huntn said:
It’s easy to use and organize. Eudora was the last dedicated email client I used until it died. Gmail is the best replacement I’ve found.
Click to expand...
I also use gmail. But for a different reason. Google already track and data mine me so might as well give them the monopoly. If you're gonna eat poison, may as well lick the plate.:eek: Amirite?:D In for a penny, in for a pound.:p:oops:
 
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ProtonMail

The real downside to this is I believe if you lose the password thats it, so be sure to keep 2FA on somehow.
Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo can retrieve your email if stolen or hacked but... remember they can also look into it at anytime they wish and share anything in it with anyone.

If you have no problem employees/computers can access and read your emails and share it with 3rd parties and advertisers you can use anything you want really, even Yandex if you wish!
 
MacBH928 said:
ProtonMail

The real downside to this is I believe if you lose the password thats it, so be sure to keep 2FA on somehow.
Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo can retrieve your email if stolen or hacked but... remember they can also look into it at anytime they wish and share anything in it with anyone.

If you have no problem employees/computers can access and read your emails and share it with 3rd parties and advertisers you can use anything you want really, even Yandex if you wish!
Click to expand...

What are you saying exactly?
The thing with proton mail is that if you have to reset the password then it wipes all of your emails out.
Plus it automatically adds a signature in every email which you have to remove on your on manually from every email there is no way to set it like that.
[doublepost=1527710092][/doublepost]
Gregg2 said:
Good Fast Cheap

Pick two.
Click to expand...

Free & Good.
 
rafark said:
I love Gmail both personal and Enterprise: solid, flexible and it is pretty much a standard. If you want no ads, try fastmail.com, its from the guys at Mozila I believe, they charge a monthly fee.
Click to expand...

eyoungren said:
Someone suggested fastmail. Fastmail is good, but you have to pay to actually send from their servers. However, you can use Gmail credentials to send. They let you do that.
Click to expand...

Another vote here for FastMail. Sure it costs a little but anything free means YOU are the product being sold. I still use gmail primarily because it is what I've used for many years now and work uses google apps.

Highly recommend fastmail if you're trying to get away from gmail. I use it as my primary personal email address now and like it. $3/mo or $30/year though I pay for the standard $50/year plan.

Super fast, simple, ad free, has 2 factor authentication, works with your domain if you have one (I do), allows use of aliases, and the mobile app is very usable on the iPhone.
 
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Dodgeman said:
What are you saying exactly?
The thing with proton mail is that if you have to reset the password then it wipes all of your emails out.
Plus it automatically adds a signature in every email which you have to remove on your on manually from every email there is no way to set it like that..
Click to expand...

You know you are right, they can retrieve it but they will wipe your emails. The signature is very small price to pay for a free+secure service. If you use your email professionally you can pay the very cheap $5/month or so for the premium membership. You can also use your own domain name or their shorter domain @pm.me
 
smallcoffee said:
I use @me/@icloud. I don't trust Google's customer service and I don't want them reading my emails to sell me junk.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. I have gmail accounts that I used years ago. The amount of junk mail and spam I get in those accounts is just nuts. I have never even given out those emails so they shouldn't be on any subscribed "lists".
 
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